Finding more time is another tactic to increasing your sales.

If you can dedicate more time to building sales then it goes with out saying…right?  It’s all about managing your time.

Fresh out of university, starting my new job at the Bank my Branch Manager sat me down and gave me one piece of advice.  It went something like this:

Manager: Ron, See this piece of paper?

Me: Yes.

Manager: It represents everything that you do.

Me: OhhhKaaay?

Manager: Try and only touch it once…because every time you touch it you cost me 50 bucks

Translation….see Step 1

Step 1 – Touch it once

Don’t read any mail, email or anything for that matter unless you are prepared to deal with it that very moment.  Why?  The reality is, anyone who says they can multitask is delusional.  Case in point, there is a reason Provinces and States are banning cell phone talking while driving.  Studies have shown humans can not do both effectively at the same time.

You see, whenever you need to deal with something what do you do?  Pick it up, read it, understand it, form an opinion or idea, and then act on it.  Depending on the piece, it could take anywhere from 1-10 minutes.  So if you in the habit of shuffling things around imagine how much time you could save in a day by adopting the one touch idea.  Set a side 2 inboxes and filter according to “need to do now” and “get to it later”.

This one tip alone has helped me become a pretty efficient producer in everything I’ve done thus far in my career.  Heck, Mike Holmes (Holmes on Homes) has made a TV show out of this very idea…do it once and do it right the first time.

Step 2 – Make Lists of tasks

Make lists to help you stay on track of what needs to get done and prioritize them.  For example,  at one of my former clients there is a particular Franchisee that has an impeccable cleanliness standard.  Their formula was simple, the franchisor has standards in place for cleanliness.  Therefore, the franchisee implemented a checklist system…all items needed to be checked off before going home.  Their checklist was the franchisor’s inspection sheet for cleanliness.

It’s a great way to stay organised as you shorten the amount of time required to think about what to do next.

Step 3 – Plan Time for your tasks

The farther you can plan out the more efficient you will be.  I’ve worked and seen people that let their work dictate them….you can spot them from a mile a way.  They’re usually running around with their head cut off and are almost always running late.  Take the time allocate time to your tasks then see step 4, the end result is a less stressful mind and a a less stressed mind works much more efficiently.  The benefits are too many to list.

Step 4 – Allocate time

As part of Step 3, some tasks require more time than you can give in a day.  That’s ok, allot the time and move on.  You may need to make time for a particular task several days in a row till it’s complete.  The key thing to remember is to not try and do too many tasks in one day – between 4 and 6 tasks should be plenty and should not take more than 5 – 6 hours to complete.  Remember to allocate selling time….always.  The other 2-3 hours will be left for the unforeseen…you know things that pop up that need to be dealt with.

Step 5 – Prioritize

Of the 4 – 6 tasks you have for each day prioritize them according to the 80-20 rule.  In general, approximately 20 percent of your output generates 80 percent of the results.  So imagine what might happen if you kept on filtering and prioritizing your tasks by looking at what tasks will generate the most return.  One of my bosses would say “take care of the big rocks first then fill in with pebbles and sand later”.  Tip: try and get the big rock out of the way earlier in the day….for most it’s when you have the most energy.

Step 6 – Are you a pack rat?

Do you hang on to things that you think will need later?  Ask yourself 2 questions: if I toss this piece of information will it affect me in a negative way later? If the answer is NO – Toss.  If the answer is Yes, ask the next question could I find this information later?  If the answer is Yes – Toss.  A clear desk is a clear mind…and a clear mind works better.

Truth be told, I don’t have all 6 steps running perfectly…but I do employ most of these steps in one shape or form.  My barber always asks “so, you busy?” my reply is always – “I’m as busy as I want to be”.  Plus, by using your combination of the above six steps you will become more productive with less stress.  The key is to not over cram your day and set buffer time to allow for things that pop up out of the blue.  Try it for 60 days and let me know how it goes.

Blueprint to Success

Back in my days of banking one of the first things I asked for when someone came to me for a business loan was their plan. Or some sort of plan of action if it was an existing client asking for more money. No plan usually meant no money. I read a quote somewhere “failure to plan is planning to fail” and as a banker I saw varying degrees of this day in and day out.  For me, my success has always come from working a plan and making slight adjustments along the way. I would start off with the end goal in mind and work backwards to determine the series of mini-steps that would lead me to my goal. This same process has worked for me every time it did not matter what I was doing from meeting corporate objectives forced upon me to personal goals such as completing a 1/2 marathon.

What is a good plan or Goal? One that is S-M-A-R-T.

S - Specific - you should have a definite end result i.e. I want to weigh 180 pounds by x date and I will accomplish that by doing x activities and will achieve x milestones by such n such a date,

M – Measurable – your plan should have specific things that can be measured to determine progress. If results are not materializing as they should then adjustments must be made,

A- Achievable - your plan must make sense and be achievable…it’s ok to make some stretch goals but equally important is to be realistic. So many good plans come to an end because of unrealistic expectations.

R- Realistic - is that goal or timeline of yours a pipe dream?  Give your head a shake.  And come back to reality.  The millions if not billions of dollars spent on anything from get-rich quick to lose half of your weight in 30 days cater to the entitlement mentality that many suffer from these days.  There are the occasional miracles, grand-slams, hail marys that happen but success is in the percentages.  Work the sure thing every time and success is all but guaranteed. 

T- Timely - Until we can manage time, we can manage nothing else. – Peter F. Drucker The difference between success and failure is time.  Take note of unsuccessful people more often than not their excuse is “I don’t have time”.  Ask them to do a time diary and you will see exactly what their source of failure is.  The plain and simple truth is that there are 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day and 365 days in a year we are all given these parameters.  So try to manage your time in a fashion that will give you the most productive output.  Find the thing that will ultimately give you the sense of urgency to complete your plan on time.  Do this step and you will manage your time a bit more wisely.